Apparatus for applying heat, cold, and pressure to the body



C. C. CURTIS Dec. 18, 1934.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HEAT, COLD, AND PRESSURE TO THE BODY Fi led May 11, 1932 INVENTOR, Gaf Cuwl Cut;

In 73hptfq 73M A TTORNE YS.

Patented Dec. 18, 1934 I uN TEo STATES?! PXTENTOFFICE Armmirus FOR APPLYING. HEAT, loom, AND- PRESSURE T 'rnnnonv Cecil Claud cams, San Francisco, Calif. Application May 11, 1932,, Serial misiasss 3"Claims. (o1. ms-+254) The present invention relates toapparatus. for ing faces-ma if desired, be formed with interapplying heat or cold in controllable degrees, fitting'ra'dial notches 'orteeth, as indicated at pressure, and tractionto parts or surfaces of the 11" in Fig.3; to prevent slipping. Set screws human body, for use in treating certain condi- 12'- are provided'to tighten the joints 11. The r tions, principally of the nervous system, in which headportionb is provided with a socket in which 0 such applications may be beneficial. l is rotatably fittedthe shank- 12 of a body rest or The principal objects of the invention are to contact'member' 13-, asshown' in Fig. 3. Ball provide a portable and simple apparatus which bearings 14'are' preferablyprovidedto receive is adjustable to enable it to be applied in varithe 'weigh-t'of'the applicator snare insure its ous positions to various parts of the body; which freedomfof' rotation. A setscrew 15 operates in 1 is provided with interchangeable contactmem-v a groove 16in the shank12 or the rest, both to bers upon which the body may rest and by which hold said rest-against accidental removal and to heat or cold may be applied" either with or withlockit' against rotation, if desired. out pressure or traction; and to provide freely The above described construction of the standrotatable mountings for said contact members ards 7 permits the members 13 and 13 to be ador body rests, so that, under certain conditions, justed to; various positions relativeto each other the parts of the. body being treated may be and to the base 6, as illustrated forexample in manipulated to secure the additional benefits of Fig. I, in which-the apparatus is shown in one of movement- Other objects and advantagesxof the its-preferred uses in the treatment of the sympa 20 invention will be apparent from; the following thet'ic nervous system." In this use of the device, specification, which. should be read: with the the patient reclines upon it, the back of the head understanding that the form, construction" and.v orupper portion of theneck'resting upon the arrangement of the several parts: may: be-ivaried; member 1'3 'and the lower thoracic or lumbar rewithin the limits of the claims hereto appended, gion' resting upon the member 13"; Adjustment wwithout departing from thespirit of the invenof the hingejoints 11 provides the desired dis-- tion as defined in said claims. tance between the two members and their relative A preferred embodiment of the invention will height above the base 6. The amount of pressure, now be described with reference to the accomprovided by the weight of the patients-head and panying drawing, in which body, is adjusted by varying the angle of the Fig. l is a side elevation of the device illusoperating table 17 upon which the base6rests, and 30 trating one of its positions of use. to which it may be secured if desired by any suit- Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus on able means, not shown. a larger scale, the parts being shown in normal An additional adjustment of the spacing beor inoperative position and the base being shown tween the two members 13 and 13 may be proin section. vided by mounting one of the standards slidably 35 Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the upon the base 6, as shown in Fig. 3 and the right line 3-3 of Fig. 2. hand portion of Fig. 2. The base is provided with Fig. 4 is an end elevation, enlarged, of the a longitudinal slot 18 and the pedestal 8 of the form of body rest or contact member shown at standard is provided with a T-shaped lug l9 slid- 0 the left in Figs. 1 and 2. ably fitted in said slot. A clamping screw 20 at Fig. 5 is a vertical section, enlarged, of a one side of the pedestal8secures it in anyadjusted different form of body rest or contact member. position in the length of the slot. The other The apparatus comprises a base 6 to which standard, as shown at the left in Fig. 2, may be are secured a plurality of standards 7, there rigidly secured to the base 6, as for example by being two such standards shown in the drawing. screws 21. 45

Each standard 7 comprises a pedestal or base The member or rest 13, shown in Fig. 3, is portion 8, a head portion 9 and an intervening preferably cylindrical in cross section, and is connecting portion 10. Hinge joints 11 are procurved as illustrated to fit the back of the neck vided between the ends of the connecting poror head. When the set screw 15 is loose, the rest tion 10 and the pedestal and head portions reis free to rotate in the upper portion of the stand- 50 spectively, said joints being preferably formed, ard so that if it be desired to turn or move the for purposes of strength and appearance, as cohead from side to side by appropriate manipulaoperating hemispheres having their meeting tion, the rest will swing freely with such movefaces arranged in the vertical plane of the longiment, thereby providing the effects of traction tudinal center line of the base 6, and said meetand motion as well as pressure to the region of the body resting upon it. If no movement is desired, the set screw 15 may be set-up tightly, thereby locking the rest rigidly in position. By unscrewing the set screw 15 sufliciently to free its end from the groove 16, the rest may be removed entirely and another of different form substituted for it.

Various forms of contact members or rests are provided as may be required to fit difierent parts of the body and'to provide diiferent effects in treatment. For example, the rest 13, shown in Fig. 3, is hollow, and is provided with an interior electric heating element 22. The wires 23 for supplying current to said element are shown as being led out through a bushing24 in the underside of the rest, although, if desired, they may be led down through suitable conduits, not shown, in the standard '7 to the base 6. This form of rest is intended for the application of heat, the

degree of heat being controlled in any well known manner, not shown. The rest 13', illustrated at the left in Figs. 1 and 2, and in Fig. 4, is intended primarily for the application of pressure to the region of the spine, and is provided with two longitudinal rounded surfaces 25 separated by a longitudinal groove 26. 5, is intended primarily for the application of cold, and is similar in shape to that shownin Fig. 3. It is hollow and is provided at one end with a removable cap 27held in place by any suitable means, such as a bayonet lock connection, indicated at 28. This form of rest may be filled with cold water or ice or any suitable chemical re agents to provide cooling effect.

The form of rest shown in Fig. 4 may, if desired, be made hollow for the reception either of an electric element similar in effect to that shown in Fig. 3 or a cold radiating substance as is done with the rest shown in Fig. 5. Other shapes and forms of rests or contact members may be provided as required.

In the use of the device, the form of the rest or rests used will depend upon the treatment desired. Thus, for example, in the use illustrated in Fig. l, the right hand rest may be used to apply The rest 13", shown in Fig.

either heat or cold and the left hand rest to apply merely pressure. In other treatments, the pedestals may be adjusted to position the rests either closer together or farther apart, and various forms of rests may be used to apply any desired combination of heat, cold, and pressure, with or without movement, according to the necessities of the particular treatment employed.

I claim:---

1. An apparatus for the described purpose comprising a base having a longitudinal slot therein; a pair of standards mounted upon said base, one of said standards being adjustable in said slot toward and-away from the other; a body rest carried by the upper end of each standard; and hinged joints in said standards, movable in a vertical plane parallel to the movement of said adiustable standard, whereby said rests may be moved up and down and toward and away from each other.

2. An apparatus for the described purpose comprising a base; a pair of standards mounted thereon, one of said standards being movable bodily toward and away from the other; a removable and horizontally rotatable body rest carried by the upper end of each standard; and hinged joints in said standards, movable in a vertical plane parallel to the bodily movement of the movable standard upon said base, whereby said rests may be moved up and down and toward and away from each other.

3. An apparatus for the described purpose .comprising a base; a pair of standards mounted thereon, one of said standards being movable bodily toward and away from the other; a removable and horizontally rotatable body rest carried by the'upper end of each standard; means for changing the temperature of one of said body rests; and hinged joints in said standards, movable in a. vertical plane parallel to the bodily movement of the movable standard upon said base, whereby said rests may be moved up and down and toward and away from each other.

CECIL CLAUD CURTIS. 

